How can the govt. allow energy companies to increase bills?

It seem that amid all these austerity measures that are strangling ordinary people to the point of asphyxiation, that the govt. can allow companies that make billions of pounds of profits to increase even further the most basic of needs such as heat and electric, has our govt. completely lost the plot or do they have no control or no interest in the plight of the ordinary people.

>The Government should stay out of this
>Why isn't the Government doing anything

No matter what the Government does someone is going to be pissed.

Queen of Hearts wrote:>The Government should stay out of this
>Why isn't the Government doing anything

No matter what the Government does someone is going to be pissed.

And the banks have just put up my mortgage rate, bloody typical.
Any one selling a caravan

heartsandminds wrote:It seem that amid all these austerity measures that are strangling ordinary people to the point of asphyxiation, that the govt. can allow companies that make billions of pounds of profits to increase even further the most basic of needs such as heat and electric, has our govt. completely lost the plot or do they have no control or no interest in the plight of the ordinary people.

lets remember that a large part of the energy bill is due to the green taxation that government places on the energy companies both on the energy and indirectly by forcing them to adopt greener and greener measures.


http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Gas-electricity-price-rise-Q/story-17074936-detail/story.html

according to this the energy companies make about £125 profit per customer per year
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/oct/14/energy-firms-profits-rise-ofgem

not exactly a massive amount is it considering what the actual fuel bills are.

less than 30p per day

tom sawyer wrote:

Queen of Hearts wrote:>The Government should stay out of this
>Why isn't the Government doing anything

No matter what the Government does someone is going to be pissed.

And the banks have just put up my mortgage rate, bloody typical.
Any one selling a caravan

does that mean it has gone up from bugger all to almost nothing?
mortgage holders should have been having a great time over the last 5 years as rates have been extremely low, people should have taken advantage and paid as much off as they could.

now us savers have been well and truly shafted.

Remind which who brought in all this green energy BS

And also remind me who higher bills hit the most.....

heartsandminds wrote:It seem that amid all these austerity measures that are strangling ordinary people to the point of asphyxiation, that the govt. can allow companies that make billions of pounds of profits to increase even further the most basic of needs such as heat and electric, has our govt. completely lost the plot or do they have no control or no interest in the plight of the ordinary people.

isnt it great that Thatcher decided to close the coal mines

fatbob5 wrote:

isnt it great that Thatcher decided to close the coal mines

We seem to have no industry at all it is hardly surprising we are in trouble.

Isn't it great LIEBORE introduced all the green taxes and green energy BS - and DIDNT build anymore nuclear energy plants

heartsandminds wrote:It seem that amid all these austerity measures that are strangling ordinary people to the point of asphyxiation, that the govt. can allow companies that make billions of pounds of profits to increase even further the most basic of needs such as heat and electric, has our govt. completely lost the plot or do they have no control or no interest in the plight of the ordinary people.

I take it that the govt should control the price of hamburgers at McDonalds, bread at the supermarkets etc etc. Thats sounds familiar, Oh Yes it was the Soviet Union where everyone was warm and well fed (NOT!!!!).



I agree they should investigate cartel activity and ensure competition but your bald suggestion they should simply stop rises is patently ludicrous in a free society.

heartsandminds wrote:It seem that amid all these austerity measures that are strangling ordinary people to the point of asphyxiation, that the govt. can allow companies that make billions of pounds of profits to increase even further the most basic of needs such as heat and electric, has our govt. completely lost the plot or do they have no control or no interest in the plight of the ordinary people.

The energy companies are one of the few who actually make profits. Pension plans are invested in the companies, without profits the pensions would be worth even less than now.

Drinky2 wrote:





I take it that the govt should control the price of hamburgers at McDonalds, bread at the supermarkets etc etc. Thats sounds familiar, Oh Yes it was the Soviet Union where everyone was warm and well fed (NOT!!!!)...........
.

im pretty sure that McDonalds isnt mentioned in the OP

fatbob5 wrote:

isnt it great that Thatcher decided to close the coal mines

Scargill did just as much, if not more, to wreck the mining industry as did Thatcher. He was determined to use the NUM as shock troops in order to achieve his main objective, which was to bring down the Tory government. She was equally determined that a democratically elected government would not be destroyed by trade union barons, many of whom, including Scargill, were pursuing Marxist agendas.

And in any case, just how long do you think the high-pollution mining industry with its industrial subsidiaries of coal-burning railways and power stations, would have remained economically viable once the world developed a collective obsession with "green" policies?

Perversely..the government initiative to force utility companies to offer reduced tariffs (or advise if their competition can offer a more competitive one) may well force up prices- due to a reduction in real competitiveness!

heartsandminds wrote:

We seem to have no industry at all it is hardly surprising we are in trouble.

if we did have more 'industry' we would be in bigger trouble.
brown outs etc would become the norm

Hugh Jardon wrote:Perversely..the government initiative to force utility companies to offer reduced tariffs (or advise if their competition can offer a more competitive one) may well force up prices- due to a reduction in real competitiveness!

What a shame. Who would that hit hardest - rich or poor?

Durham wrote:

What a shame. Who would that hit hardest - rich or poor?

Oh..the 'poor'.

Anyway... any poor people reading this.

Invest in a MicroCHP, or do so when your boiler goes tits up....